Please note the following changes to the Interfaith E-Bulletin that was sent out on Thursday, November 17, 2011. Sorry for the inconvenience! 

• Addition: Historical Highlights of the Foothills Unitarian Universalist Church
• Addition: Mission of Hope Walk on December 2

With Thanksgiving just a week away, it is fitting to "count the many blessings" which have come to and through IFC in recent days.

November 3rd meeting hosts, Rev. Marc Salkin and representatives Garth McCann and Susan Ferguson, Foothills Unitarian Universalist Church

The occasion for gratitude was evident at our program meeting this month when state representatives Randy Fischer and John Kefalas joined with City Council Member Kelly Ohlsen to spoke to a room full of representatives and guests at the Foothills Unitarian Universalist Church. Afterwards those in attendance remarked on how those three offered such a complete and insightful summary of the issues before us, particularly as these pertain to the social concerns of IFC.

Among the most urgent of concerns was that referenced in the last E-Bulletin - the growing number of homeless persons needing shelter as the winter is upon us. Since then, the IFC Executive Team has agreed to provide our mailing a

New IFC representatives Stefanie Berganini, Women's Resource Center, Tara Chastain and Jim Cox, Fort Collins Housing Authority, and Lisa Poppaw, United Way of Larimer County.

ddress and liaison to the newly forming Family Faith Shelter (FSS), in which ten host and three supporting congregations have made themselves available to house homeless families overnight after the Catholic Charities shelter is full. We have learned that four or five families a month are turned away from that facility for lack of space. Even more than that cannot be accommodated through the Hope Center resources. So both of those agencies, in cooperation with United Way of Larimer County acting as fiscal agent, are in place to provide the referrals, case management, and day center space through FSS in order to meet the need sooner rather than later. In the meantime, conversations are continuing with the national Interfaith Hospitality Network (a program of Family Promise) to make a possible longer-term connection with the already functioning Loveland program. More information about this development will be made available at the next business meeting on December 1 at Heart of the Rockies Christian Church.

No remembrance of this month would be complete without expression of gratitude for the life of Bill Moseley, as well condolences to all who knew and loved him following his recent death. As was noted in the Memorial Service at American Baptist Church, he will be missed and continue to be appreciated for the love he gave to his family and service to the community, including his role as a charter member of IFC over thirty years ago. In the eulogy Rev. Bill Prather well caught Bill Moseley's spirit when citing his favorite biblical text - from Micah 6:8 "...to do justice, and love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

May we all so do, love and walk, as we have been richly blessed.

Rich Thompson

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Foothills Unitarian Universalist Church

The Unitarian church of Fort Collins was founded in 1898 as Unity Church, Unitarian. It merged with the First Congregationalist Church of  Fort Collins in 1931, and became the Congregational-Unitarian Church for a number of decades. In the 1960's the partnership was amicably terminated and the Foothills Unitarian Church was established in 1968. Since 1970 the church has occupied its current site at 1815 Yorktown Avenue, off Drake, east of Taft Hill. Served by the Rev. Walter Royal Jones from 1971 until 1989, the church called the Rev. Marc Salkin as Parish Minister in 1991, who still serves in the capacity. With a membership of 570 members and 200 "friends," the church qualifies as a "large" congregation according to the definition of the Unitarian Universalist Association, with which the church is now affiliated. Identified with liberal theology and progressive values, the church is now ready to embark upon hiring an Assistant Minister.

YALE THEOLOGIAN MIROSLAV VOLF IS FEATURED GUEST

FAITH-TO-FAITH

Miroslav Volf, a Yale University theologian who is a leading voice for increased understanding between Christians and Muslims, will headline the fourth annual Faith-to-Faith event at 7 p.m. November 17, 2011 at First United Methodist Church (UMC), 1005 Stover St., Fort Collins.

Volf is the author of Allah: A Christian Response, which makes the case that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. He also rejects the idea the Muslim and Christian "civilizations" are bound to clash.

Information and tickets are available at the church, 482-2436, or at Old Firehouse Books, 232 Walnut St. Tickets are $15. Volf's books will be on sale before and after the program. Full details are at www.fcfumc.net/faithtofaith.

Northern Front Range Continuum of Care

Work toward providing affordable housing for all homeless and at-risk community members; work towards empowering homeless and low-income community members to become self-sufficient as possible; and work toward the elimination of homelessness by promoting systemic change locally, statewide, and nationally through education and advocacy.

Members meet bi-monthly on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 9-10:30am. The next meeting is scheduled for December 15, 2011. For more information, contact John Tuchscherer at 416-2920 or jtuchscherer@fcgov.com.  

Join millions of people all over the world at Noon Greenwich Mean Time to focus on world peace and inner peace for 2012.  The theme of the Fort Collins event is "Make Peace:  One Piece At A Time" and the program includes the John Randolph Price World Healing Meditation along with music, prayers, speakers and information from a variety of local faith, peace and humanitarian groups.  

26th Annual International Hour For Peace will take place Saturday, December 31 from 4:45-6:15am at Blessed John XXIII University Center, 1220 University Avenue.  

For more information, contact Dr. Vickie at 970-407-1351 or visit www.fortnet.org/hr4peace.

Give us your info!

Communications Team

We want your faith group and agency information to display on the Member Group section of our website! Sending us your group information is easy, just follow these steps:

1. Click here if you are a member faith group

    Click here if you are a member agency

2. Fill out the online form

3. Click the "Submit" button

4. You're done!

These forms are also available on the website at http://www.ftcollinsinterfaithcouncil.org/FormsReports.html

There are also printed copies of these forms available at the IFC meetings which can be filled out and returned to the communications team. Please let us know if you need a printed form.

The Larimer County Circles Initiative is now interviewing for Allies.  An Ally is a volunteer committed to the goal of creating an intentional relationship with a family or individual who is part of the Circles Community.  Allies provide friendship, gentle coaching, networking and other non-financial resources necessary to support the family in achieving their self-sufficiency goals.  With the support and encouragement of their Allies, each individual or family makes significant progress with their goals related to finances, relationships, and other resources within the greater community.  To learn more, please attend an Orientation at ELTC (401 Linden St, FTC 80524):

To RSVP or to learn more, please contact Cynthia Ryk at 482-4357. Check out our landing page at www.circleslarimer.org

Trinity Lutheran Church (301 E. Stuart, Fort Collins) will host the Annual Community Thanksgiving Worship this Tuesday, November 22 at 7:00pm.  The Sermon will be presented by Pastor Jason McSpadden, followed by fellowship.  The evening's offering will be dedicated to Homelessness Prevention Initiative.  Attendees are invited to bring a pie to share during fellowship. 

Visit www.trinitylutheranfc.org for more information.

The Homeless Day Services Initiative, in partnership with United Way, Catholic Charities, and the Larimer Center for Mental Health, invites you to join a community walk to raise funds and awareness for year-round daytime services for people who are homeless.  The Walk will take place Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 7:45 am to 9am.  A $10 donation is suggested from each walker. 

The Walk route will begin at the Mission, Catholic Charities Northern, 460 Linden Center Drive, (across from New Belgium Brewery) and end at the Center for Hope (corner of Blue Spruce and Conifer, east of Jax on North College). 

Tax-deductible donations may be made by check to United Way (United Way, 424 Pine Street, #102, Fort Collins, CO 80524) and designated to the Homeless Day Services Initiative. 

For more information, please visit www.homelessdayservices.org or call 970-223-9238. 

Come support the Education and Life Training Center: attend our Totally Trivia event at its new location! For one low price, enjoy friendly trivia rivalry, prizes, free beer courtesy of Odell Brewing Company, and a tasty taco bar from our neighbors at El Burrito.

Join us Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 7:00-9:00pm at Odell Brewing Company.All proceeds benefit ELTC, a 501 (c) 3 that provides affordable education and employment skills to adults seeking to improve their livelihood and achieve self-sufficiency.

Tickets are $25 per person if you register by December 2 or $30 at the door. To pay by credit card, please call ELTC at 970-482-4357. To pay by check or cash, please visit ELTC, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.

The Salvation Army Christmas program, Angels Among Us, needs help to provide Christmas gifts for local children. Currently, we have 450 families (and still counting!) in need of new clothes and toys for children ages 16 and younger. 
 

Host an Angel Tree - Your church/organization can set up a tree at your location that would have Christmas angel tags as ornaments. 

Sponsor an individual child or several children - Each Paper Angel represents a real child and includes their age and a list of wishes. Anybody can pick an angel off the tree, purchase gifts, and then return the items back to the tree location or to The Salvation Army. 

Adopt an entire family - You can contact our office and arrange to adopt an entire family or several families. You can choose the family size, age and gender of the children in the family. When adopting the entire family, we ask if you could provide food in the form of a grocery gift certificate, so that the family can purchase their holiday meal. 

The Volunteer Center and 2-1-1 are working together this year to help you find DONATIONS and VOLUNTEERS, and PROMOTE YOUR RESOURCES to those in need this holiday season. You can submit your information to be included in the: 

Holiday Volunteer List - Available to folks who want to volunteer one-time or on an ongoing basis during the holidays. Examples include ringing bells, serving meals, collecting and distributing toys and others.

Holiday Donations List- Available to folks who want to donate items to your organization. Examples include coats, socks, diapers, toys and more.

Nonprofit Wish List- Available all year round and includes your needs as an organization.Examples include office paper, filing cabinets, phones, staplers and more.  To view last year's issue,

click here.

If you would like to be included in these resources, please contact Jami McMannes at 970-407-7055 or visit www.unitedwayoflarimercounty.org.